At what age are mental faculties reduced?

Previously it was believed that people who entered maturity, gradually began to lose their mental abilities: slow thinking and making decisions, it is worse to remember information. However, recent studies by the University of Massachusetts have encouraged people who have long crossed the 18-year mark. According to recent studies, cognitive skills can develop decades and decades later.

How were the studies conducted?

Numerous simple and short computer games were designed to evaluate different cognitive skills: information processing speed, vocabulary, and social cognition. To participate in the study, people aged 10 to 89 years were invited.

What did scientists identify as a result of the work done? It turns out that the peak activity of the brain begins its decline in different periods of life. Moreover, the peak of some skills can occur already at adolescence, while the flowering of other mental abilities a person experiences only to 70 years.

And you are wondering which of your mental abilities have already passed their maximum, and which are still exacerbated? In this publication we will consider the four main cognitive abilities of the human brain.

Information processing speed

Under this concept, the ability of a person to perceive new information must be considered. How quickly a person is able to process information, so quickly he answers the question posed.

So, we disappoint some readers. The peak of this ability is at adolescence. That is why young people have an advantage over mature in this aspect. Young people are doing everything faster: analyzing, visualizing, and successfully applying motor functions, such as inputting information when answering a question.

However, do not get discouraged if you are already way past 20. To come up with quick solutions does not always mean that these solutions are correct. This is what Joshua Hartshorne, Ph.D., says: "It's good when you are able to run fast, but it's even better to know where you are going to run."

How to improve this skill? People who give their body half an hour of aerobic exercise on a daily basis will be able to improve the speed of processing information. Therefore, a physically active person has an advantage over his sedentary peers.

Working memory

This type of activity of the brain is understood as the ability to keep several pieces of information in a short time at the same time. Working memory makes it possible at the right time to quickly extract the material needed to solve a particular problem.

The peak activity of working memory falls on a period of about 30 years. This was revealed by scientists at Temple University in their recent study, where male students were tested. Students were invited to play video games for one hour daily for a whole month. The people tested actually increased their working memory, which, as the researchers believe, is explained by the bustle and rapid change of events in the nature of the action of games. A person who plays modern computer games, is able to hold several pieces of information simultaneously.

Social cognition

By social cognition is meant the ability of a person to perceive another's behavior, body language, the face of the interlocutor and react accordingly. The peak of this skill is 40 years. Using the skills of social cognition, you will understand and read someone else's behavior.

How to improve this skill? It turns out that the release of the hormone oxytocin into the blood can support the social cognition of a person. Therefore, more embrace, hold hands, exchange kisses with your soul mate, do not forget about the importance of intimacy.

Lexicon

This skill is understood as the ability to recognize the meaning of new words. The peak of this ability is 65-70 years. It is very important to constantly develop, strive to learn more and more new words, including slang, narrow-profile, specialized, technical terms. Wide vocabulary helps people to better understand the world. To expand the vocabulary, read scientific and fiction, watch new movies, be interested in new events. In fact, there are many things in culture that make us think and think more.